Camp Neiheim

I spent an enjoyable couple of years posting here with 43 RP Coy, RAOC, 1(BR) Corps Combat Supplies Bn Jan 1977 - May 1979. When I arrived as a single bloke, we were billeted at Barker Barracks, Paderborn, and shipped in on a bus daily to the Ammunition Depot - which was always referred to as Depot Pombsen ( not Camp Nieheim ). After a brief time at Barker Barracks, the single blokes were moved to the Camp at Neiheim - which consisted of 2 large accommodation blocks and a cookhouse. ( Think this may have gone now and been redeveloped - looking at the google maps ). So there was only living accommodation at Neiheim. I think we were the first lot to move in to the camp at Neiheim, and the locals were very friendly, and I remember many happy evenings down at the numerous Gast houses in the town. Depot Pombsen was quite high up in the hills. We used to have regular PT Runs down to Neiheim for lunch, often in snow in Winter, with down to minus 20 c on rare occasions.Once I got married, there was little in the way of available married quarters, so we spent 6 months in an attic flat on a farm at Dahl near Paderborn ( German hiring ) before eventually moving in to a married quarter at Sennelager - which used to be SS Accommodation during the war. We also used to do occasional guard duty at a sub ammunition camp called DEPOT 90 which was in the Sennelager vicinity. Generally going to work involved a 25 mile drive in private car from Sennelager to Pombsen. There is an amazing set of photos on the net showing the redevelopment of Pombsen into a very classy looking motor racing circuit ( but retaining some of the no doubt very useful APB's - ammunition process buildings and storage buildings ).

I was posted to 44 RP Company which ran 'Depot 90' (named after its wartime usage) at Sennelarger, almost the same time as you as it happens! and like you lived in at first at Barker Barracks, the HQ of 1 (BR) Corps Combat Supplies Battalion, and then got a Private Hiring above the Sennelarger Aldi Mart, befor getting a flat at Lahrkamp Str

Funny thing is I used to have to drive to Pombsom and do duties there! Depot Pombson was a new build NATO Depot in the mid 70's but never replaced to older depots such as Depot 90.

Hello Mike, thanks for reminding me - yes 44 RP Coy at Depot 90, and there was also 49 RP Coy at an Ammo Depot somewhere North East of there, but I can't remember the name of it - only went there once. I think Pombsen was the Ammo Depot which was furthest East and nearest the East German border. We had Lance Missiles there, and the AT's who worked on them had to wear protective suits due to the liquid fuel and oxidiser being so deadly ( IRFNA & UDMH ). The Wife and I used to visit the Schnell Imbiss a little way down the Strip from Sennelager on the way to Paderborn, for a Bratty & Chips, and we used to win regularly somehow on the fruit machine there ( with the vertical rotating rollers ) so often had a free take away !

49 RP Coy was mostly Pet Ops, they looked after the Forward Storage Sites (FStS) and did not have a depot as such other than ASD Liebenau which was only turned over every 5 years or so, and 44 RP Coy used to assist.

We also stored Lance at Depot 90, we were meant to have a Lance Platoon, but it was never formed.

Stadt Bad Driburg entered in their PR Literature (also for tourists) "At the beginning we had a vision. The vision was to createsomething new out of an abandoned NATO compound, theformer 1st British Corps Ammunition Depot Pombsen.Consequently, a team of experts developed a concept totransform the scenic, fallow conservation area into a modernautomotive proving ground. This project can create addedvalue in form of contracts, employment, tourism, and achange of image.It is our goal, to establish an innovative automotive test site:the test site and showcase track “Bilster Berg Drive Resort”,which will be highly regarded throughout Europe. Theopening will be celebrated in the summer of 2012."